The Price of Victory
by Master-Magician
Summary: The words of the Ellcrys at the beginning of all this sprang to mind. "The quest is more important than any one life". Amberle always assumed the tree had been talking about Wil and her growing affections for the half-elf. If she was going to succeeded, she had to be able to set her own feelings aside. But no, that wasn't it at all, the Ellcrys was preparing her for this very event
**Anyone else nearly heartbroken over that finale? Hopefully season 2 will help make things better but until then... we have fanfiction.**

 **Enjoy.**

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Amberle still couldn't believe it. They made it, they actually made it. Between rovers, elf-hunters, demons, crazed torturers, and their own personal issues, their quest was about to be completed.

Only one last sacrifice had to be made- Amberle.

The words of the Ellcrys at the beginning of all this sprang to mind. "The quest is more important than any one life". Amberle always assumed the tree had been talking about Wil and her growing affections for the half-elf. If she was going to succeeded, she had to be able to set her own feelings aside. But no, that wasn't it at all, the Ellcrys was preparing her for this very event.

There was a time Amberle could have done this with little to no hesitation. Yes she wouldn't have liked it, but it was for the survival of the Four Lands. Her life was a small price to pay for the lives of so many. Amberle was not so selfish as to refuse.

Only now so much had changed. Amberle had become very selfish. Standing here in the sanctuary, with Wil's arms around her, she didn't want to go. He would never be able to accept it, Amberle knew that. It was exactly why she didn't tell him. Maybe she could have gotten lucky and never made it this far, she wouldn't be faced with such a sadistic choice.

Save the world, or survive maybe a day longer with Wil before everything ended.

Unable to lie to herself now that she stood here at the end of the line, Amberle finally accepted what she had been trying to deny for so long. A part of her heart had been left behind in Safehold in the hands of a certain rover.

A rover girl that had more than likely already been eaten alive by trolls. The mental image of that made the bile rise in the back of Amberle's throat. But at this point, she didn't have it in her to hope anymore.

While Eretria held one half of Amberle's heart, Wil held the other. He wasn't even a fighter, Wil was a healer, yet he possessed more courage than almost everyone Amberle knew. If it had been an option, Wil would be begging to be the one to become the new Ellcrys. Not that Amberle would allow it.

Standing on the cusp of the Four Land's salvation, Amberle's mind drifted back to the cave. To the very brief time she shared with Wil. She had been so, so stupid. It took being told she had to essentially die to get her to finally open up about how she felt. She loved Wil, she wasn't lying when she said that, but she loved Eretria too.

The looming specter of death had brought clarity to Amberle while she sat with Wil awaiting nightfall. It allowed her to finally pour her heart out in a way she should have done when they escaped Utopia. If only Eretria had been with them...

With tomorrow probably not coming, maybe not for any of them, Amberle made the choice to not only open her heart to Wil, but to give him her body as well. Wil had known it was her first, but he made no mention of it during or after.

Eretria had slept with Wil already but whereas that repulsed her before, Amberle found she didn't mind. Had the rover been there, Amberle would have been making the same confession to her too. Although she had never considered what it would be like to be with another girl, Amberle would have trusted Eretria to show her the way.

It had occurred to her she might have looked foolish to saying she was in love with two different people, one another female no less, but Amberle wasn't worried. She had seen the way Wil and Eretria looked at each other. There was indeed a lust there, but looking deeper as Amberle had done during her time with them it was obvious to see it went beyond an attraction of the flesh. Amberle's time with Wil had proven how the half-elf felt about the princess herself. And the longing gazes Eretria thought Amberle didn't see... Amberle had been scared to face what they could mean, but the time for fear was over.

I love you Eretria. The rover should have been there to hear the words right with Wil. They were destined to complete this quest together. They were supposed to all make it damn it! Eretria wasn't supposed to die!

Perhaps Eretria's death made it a little easier to sacrifice herself. With her rover gone, half of Amberle had already passed on. The desire to make the rover's death mean something had been part of her determination. Only the begging eyes of Wil gave the elven princess pause now.

Amberle just hoped that when this was over, Wil would make sure everyone knew they never would have made it this far without Eretria. If they disliked one of their saviors being human, Wil would just have to make them listen.

Time was running out, the Dagda Mor had breached the sanctuary. Allanon, for all his skill and strength could not stop him. Even with the elfstones, Wil wasn't going to be able to hold back the demon druid for much longer.

Here Amberle stood at the door of the Ellcrys, the screaming voice of Wil stabbing into her already fractured heart like needles. Wil was going to be dead in a few moments if she didn't do something. There was nothing that could stop the Dagda Mor. Nothing except...

The only way to stop the Dagda Mor was to banish him back to The Forbidding. But to do that, Amberle had to give in and take the plunge. Either she became the Ellcrys and saved the world, or Wil dies. Wil who holds what remains of her broken heart.

Amberle understood now. If it meant saving Wil or Eretria, she would let the Four Lands burn.

Saving the Four Lands and saving her Wil were now completely one and the same. Amberle would indeed become the Ellcrys, just not to save the Four Lands.

She would do it to save Wil.

It was the final push Amberle needed. She flooded her thoughts full of memories and images of the two she loved most. Wil would be spared. The land Eretria gave her life to help save would be brought its salvation.

Amberle took the final step and entered the doorway.

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 **I hate doing shorter ones like this but it actually came out better than I thought it would. Let me know how I did.**

 **If anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear them. I have a couple more ideas for Shannara planned.**


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